CoNNMO National Priorities

The Coalition of National Nursing & Midwifery Organisations (CoNNMO) comprises 54 national nursing and midwifery organisations. These bodies reflect the diverse generalist and specialist contexts of practice in which the nursing and midwifery workforce undertakes their essential roles. CoNNMO is unique in its reach and extensive magnitude of numbers of the combined organisational memberships. It advocates for the health and wellbeing of the Australian population, through empowered, focused and skilled nursing and midwifery workforces. The coalition supports and enhances the leadership, capacity and impact of the goals of the member bodies.

APNA is proud to be a CoNNMO member.

The following CoNNMO national priorities have been established through a rigorous process of collaboration and consultation with the member organisations. They guide contemporary practice and education for our professions.

1. All consumers of healthcare have the right to accessible, safe, high quality care provided by competent, well-educated nurses and midwives.
2. Nurses and midwives lead their professions to improve public awareness of their essential role in the health care system and drive collaborative improvements with other health professionals.
3. Caring, compassion and empathy delivered within a regulated professional framework is an essential element of all aspects of nursing and midwifery practice.
4. Nurses and midwives are integral to a sustainable, affordable and accessible Australian healthcare system and are essential voices to be included in local, State, Territory and Federal health policy discussions and decision making.
5. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, history and culture is a core element of nursing and midwifery practice. A National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategy involving the nursing and midwifery professions is urgently required.
6. Nurses and midwives must adopt a zero tolerance approach to bullying, racism, harassment, sexism and all other forms of discrimination that have no place in nursing and midwifery practice.
7. Embedding mentoring and reflective practice into the growth and development of all nurses and midwives is essential.
8. Work must be undertaken to remove legislative, regulatory and administrative barriers that prevent nurses and midwives from practicing to their full scope of practice.
9. Collaborating and working in partnership with nursing and midwifery professional organisations is essential to progressing evidence informed practice.
10. Nurses and midwives need to be literate in digital health, to communicate, collaborate and provide optimal healthcare.
11. Nurses and midwives must be supported and resourced to lead research and innovation.
12. Nurses and midwives must use their considerable, informed and united voices to advocate for improvements in health and wellbeing for all.

Find out more about CoNNMO.